Portable grain elevator



Feb. 1, 1949. H. A. TlNTES PORTABLE GRAIN ELEVATOR Filed Sept. 15, 1946 Patented Feb. 1, 1949 PORTABLE GRAIN ELEVATOR Hubert A. Tintes, West Fargo, N. Dak.

Application September 13, 1946, Serial No. 69.6,808

2 Claims. (Cl. 198-213) This invention relates to portable conveyors such as those which can be conveniently used to handle materials such as small rains.

It is an object of the invention to provide a portable grain conveyor wherein the engine for driving the conveyor is mounted on the upper end thereof by a stable yet readily adjustable supporting bracket so that the motor or engine can be set in a substantially horizontal position even though the angle of the elevator itself might be varied to suit different conditions.

It is another object of the invention to provide a portable grain elevator with an attachment which can be moved longitudinally of the elevator and which is so constructed that it can be readily hooked over or mounted upon the upper edge of a wagon box or removably supported on the upper portion of a collapsible tripod.

Another object of the invention is to provide an elevator including a tubular casing and a spiral conveyor member wherein the lower portion of the spiral conveyor is exposed and said lower portion is provided with an upwardly turned flange so that it will more readily pick up small materials such as wheat.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the acompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the views, and, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the invention with the central portion broken away and with the connector clamp and parts of the upper drive mechanism shown in dotted lines and in section respectively;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the device;

Figure 3 is a section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged section through the lower portion of the spiral conveyor member;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section through a portion of the spiral conveyor taken at right angles to that shown in Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged transverse section taken approximately on the line 6-6 of Fi ure 2.

extends below the lower end of the tubular casing I. In order to support the lower end of the conveyor a circular base member I3 is placed on the outer or lower side of the U-shaped cross member 9. That portion of the spiral I2 which is exposed at the lower part of the unit is provided with an upturned flange I2a as better shown in Figures 4 and 5. The flange I2a is provided to assist in backing up smaller sized particles such as grains of wheat and the like.

The upper end of the tubular casing I is provided with an opening I4 from which material is dumped after it has been raised through the tube by the spiral I2. Above the outlet opening I4 extends a pair of arms I5 which is secured to opposite sides of the conveyor casing I and which supports a box I6. Extending through the box I8 is a conveyor power shaft I! having a pulley I8 on one end thereof, said pulley being connected by a chain or belt I9 to a power pulley 20 on the power shaft 2| of a small internal combustion engine 22.

In the box or gear housing I6 at the upper end of the conveyor casing 'I and on the shaft I1 is a bevel gear 23 Whichmeshes with a complementary bevel gear 24 on the upper end of the tubular shaft II forming part of the spiral conveyor member. Pivoted on the power shaft I1 at opposite sides of the gear box or housing I6 is a pair of metal bracket arms 25 which is bridged by and acts as a support for the internal combustion engine 22. The bracket arms 25 have arcuate downward extensions 25a, the arc of said extensions conveniently being about the power shaft H as a center. The arcuate bracket members 25a are provided with spaced openings 26 adapted to receive nutted bolts 21 which lie above and below the tubular conveyor casing I. It can readily be seen that by shifting the bolts 21 to other sets of holes 26 in the arcuate bracket portions 25a the internal combustion engine 22 can be maintained at an approximate level even though the angle of the conveyor casing I may be changed.

Longitudinally adjustable on the conveyor casing 1 is a clamp 28 which is roughly of U shape, as shown in Figure 3, but is also rounded to fit the contour of the casing. The clamp 28 has a nutted bolt 29 extending between its ends 2811 so that the clamp can be releasably secured to various positions along the casing. The clamp 28 is provided with a pair of downwardly extending lugs 30 as shown in Figures 1 and 3, said lugs having a bolt 3| passing therethrough and also through a pair of lugs 32 which extend upwardly 3 from a saddle plate 33. The saddle plate 33 has a U-shaped saddle 14 extending downwardly therefrom and pivotally connected thereto by a vertical bolt 33a, said saddle having a clamp screw 35 on one side thereof.

In Figures 1 and 3 the saddle 34 is shown mounted upon a rectangular cross member 36 which is connected to brackets 31 pivotally mounted upon a pivot pin 38. The pin 33 is carried by a sleeve 39 mounted upon the upper end of a tripod leg 40." Legs 4| converge toward their upper ends and are also suitably pivotally connected to the bracket 31. A suitable brace 42 preferably is connected between the upper portions of the two legs 4i and a movement limiting chain 43 shown in Figure 1 is connected between the brace 42 and the single leg 49.

With the apparatus shown and described I" have provided a portable elevator which is particularly suitable for removing grain from storage and placing it in trucks and the like. The apparatus is relatively compact and carries its own engine in a manner by means of which it can be readily leveled even though the angle of the elevator is not always the same. The lower portion of the screw or spiral element is provided with a flange which considerably increases the working capacity of the device since it can pick up more grain at each revolution of the spiral.

Another feature of the apparatus is the shiftable clamp 28 which can be moved up and down the casing and its saddle 34 can be placed as described above upon the upper cross member 36 of the tripod unit or it can be slipped oil of the cross member 36 when the device is not in use, and said saddle 34 can alternately be placed over the upper edge of the side wall of a wagon box or truck box. The clamp unit 28 can be readily moved to difierent positions up and down the tubular casing I either to accommodate the apparatus to trucks or wagons of difierent heights or to change the angle of the conveyor under difierent conditions. The two pivots 3i and 33a provide a substantially universal connection between the clamp 23 and the saddle 34 so that the casing I can be supported not only at different angles in a perpendicular plane but at different angles obliquely thereto. Obviously from the construction of the tripod unit it will be seen that it can be readily folded and will take up little space either in transportation or storage. This is also true of the main elevator assembly since when it is not in use the motor can be dropped down against the elevator casing and the arcuate bracket members 25a will extend in one direction only at a small distance greater than the engine will extend in the other direction.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions oi the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a portable grain elevator, a casing and a movable conveyor unit therein, said conveyor unit having a drive shaft extending across the upper end of said casing, said casing having a power unit supported thereby adjacent its upper end, said power unit having a supporting bracket mounted for rotation about said drivefshait, said bracket including a portion lying adjacent said conveyor casing in spaced relation with said drive shaft and formed on an are having said shaft as a center, the arcuate portion of said bracket, at spaced points, being arranged for connection with said casing.

2. The structure in claim 1, and a connector member on said casing, and said arrangement for connection with said arcuate portion of said bracket being a series of spaced connectable apertures.

HUBERT A. TINTES.

. REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the pie of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Applegate Oct. 13, 1942 

